More than you will ever know
by fortherebellion
Summary: After quitting the Cheerios, Quinn seems to be spending most of her time making others miserable, especially Rachel Berry. Could it just be a simple case of childish bullying, or something much more?
1. Chapter 1:   From where we began

**Author's Note - Hey guys, this is my first time submitting any fic so any comments/criticisms are highly welcomed.**

**Lyrics are from Paramore's "We Are Broken"**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Glee or any of the characters**

**Chapter One**

It had been 2 weeks since Quinn Fabray left the cheerios and the blonde still held her head up just as high as when she was HBIC. She could still instill fear in those who were dumb enough to cross her on a bad day and, even without the red, black and white uniform to hide behind, Quinn radiated confidence.

Everyone thought that being off the cheerleading squad might have tamed Quinn a bit, but if anything, she had gotten worse. Her friends in New Directions were starting to get worried.

"I've never seen her like this." said Finn, turning to Rachel "Sure she used to be a pain in the ass, but now she seems to be going out of her way to make everyone else feel like crap." The young diva nodded silently, waiting patiently for him to continue. "I just don't understand, you'd think she'd be acting at least a little nicer considering how she was treated last time she left the Cheerios. "

"She didn't leave last time Finn, Coach Sylvester kicked her out, remember?" Of course he did, how could he forget Quinn's pregnancy and how she had tried so desperately to trick him into believing he was the father. "I understand you're concerned for her Finn," the brunette continued. "But do you really think I'm the best person to be talking to about this? We're not exactly close," she grumbled. It was a severe understatement and the pair both knew it. Rachel had been on the receiving end of some of Quinn's nastier pranks of late and had had just about enough of it. She was nothing but kind to the ex-cheerleader, so why did Quinn seem to have a personal vendetta against the brunette?

* * *

"Rachel!" a voice called from the other end of the hallway. As she got closer, Rachel made out Mercedes' face in the crowd. "Hey, I wouldn't go this way if I were you," she urged. "Quinn's on a war path again. I haven't seen her this bad since Britney got distracted by those squirrels in cheer practice a couple of years ago and missed catching little miss HBIC." The smaller diva let out a small giggle before mentally kicking herself. She had to go this way to get to the choir room; she'd planned to rehearse a new piece for glee club this week. Taking a deep breath Rachel nodded.

"Thanks for the heads up Mercedes, I'll see you later."

Today was going to be one of _those _days, thought Rachel to herself as she continued along the hallway to the choir room.

Once inside, she found the CD she was after and pressed play on the CD player. Immediately the music started to wrap itself around her and soon she began to sing along, her eyes closed in concentration.

_I am outside_

_And I've been waiting for the sun_

_With my wide eyes_

_I've seen worlds that don't belong_

_My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize_

_Tell me why we live like this_

_Keep me safe inside_

_Your arms like towers_

_Tower over me_

_Yeah_

_Cause we are broken_

_What must we do to restore_

_Our innocence_

_And oh, the promise we adored _

_Give us life again cause we just wanna be whole_

_Tower over me_

_Tower over me_

As the last note left her mouth, she heard someone begin to clap slowly behind her.

"Not bad Berry," Spinning around, Rachel saw Quinn leant against the piano, eyes fixed on hers. "Maybe next time you can try not looking like you're constipated while you screech." the blonde sneered. Rachel felt her anger begin to rise at the snide remark. No, don't let her know she's gotten to you, she thought to herself.

"Thanks for the advice Quinn, but I don't think you're exactly in the position to be giving out performance tips," replied Rachel "I mean you've gotten how many solos in Glee club so far?" The blonde smirked in reply.

"Oh kitty's got claws. Small, blunt claws, but claws all the same." Quinn strode over to where the other girl was standing, her face nearly touching the brunette's. "You'd better watch yourself Berry, we wouldn't want to that pretty face of yours getting all messed up now, would we?" she almost whispered as she stroked the side of the young diva's face. Unable to form an audible response, Rachel just stared.

Laughing softly to herself, Quinn turned to walk away. "See you around," Pausing at the door; she glanced once more at the stunned girl she had left behind. "Kitty."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Wow, seriously didn't expect to have such a response to this. Thank you to those who commented, I'm glad you're liking it so far :) **

**I'll be hopefully adding to this at least once a week, so expect updates :) **

**Disclaimer - I don't own Glee or any other the characters**

**Chapter 2**

If anyone at school noticed the large black rings under Rachel's eyes the next day, they didn't mention it. She had been up most of the night replaying the events of the choir room over and over in her head, trying to make sense out of any of it. The young diva had become quite used to Quinn's harassment over time, but this, this had been something entirely different. What was she playing at? Had the blonde become bored of the humiliation and physical torment that she had accustomed Rachel to for so long and now moved up to playing mind games with her? The brunette felt a cold shiver run down her back at the thought. All I have to do is avoid Quinn completely for the rest of my school life and I should be fine, she scoffed to herself. No problems.

Her plan worked brilliantly, for all of 6 hours at least. It was the end of the day and most of the school had dashed out of the building as soon as the bell had rung. Rachel, however, stayed back for a moment to collect some of her things for her locker.

First mistake.

As she finished putting the last of her books in her bag, the young diva felt air rush past her face, as her locker door was slammed shut, narrowly missing her nose. A small gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled back slightly.

"You've been hiding from me." The ex-cheerleader said accusingly, arms folded against her chest.

"Oh, hi Quinn. Um hiding? No, no, no I haven't been hiding from you, why would I hide from you? I've just been busy, you know,  
in places that you just happen not to be," the brunette babbled.

A small grin began to form on the blonde's lips as she moved towards the small diva. Every instinct in Rachel's body was telling her to run. Leave everything behind her and just sprint as fast as her legs would take her out the door. But she didn't. She stayed.

Second mistake

"Do you know the things I could do you right now Berry?" Quinn questioned. Not waiting for a response, she continued. "I could rearrange that dainty little face of yours so that that nose of yours would be the least of your problems. Or maybe I could throw you into any one of these lockers and leave you there until morning, all cold and alone, waiting for someone to save you. But you nobody would Berry. Nobody would save you." Rachel could have sworn she heard the blonde's voice quiver slightly as she spoke. "Nobody ever saves you."

Quinn shifted her gaze away from the brunette, her eyes betraying something other than the deep anger shown on the surface. For a moment Rachel could see the façade that was Quinn Fabray slip away. Standing in front of her wasn't the ex-cheerleader, the HBIC or the general hard-ass that had plagued her for most of her school life, instead there was a vulnerable shell of a girl, a girl who was so very lost that she herself couldn't even see it. The young brunette reached out a hand to gently stroke the side of Quinn's face.

Final mistake.

The blonde slapped her hand away coldly. The mask that had slipped so slightly was put right back into place as if she had caught herself out. Suddenly she stepped away from the diva, her eyes once again dead and steely, piercing Rachel to her core. It was this girl who had ordered countless slushies on the brunette, this girl who seemed to target her relentlessly, this girl – the tough one, the strong one, the one who laughed at others misery who had tormented her for so long. But now Rachel knew, this was not the true Quinn Fabray. She had seen the true Quinn and it scared her more than the girl now standing before her ever could.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Quinn yelled.

"I just... I just wanted to help you." Stammered the brunette, shocked by the ex-cheerleader's abrupt change in attitude.

The blonde began to laugh harshly. "You, help me?" she sneered. "Now why would I want help from a loser like you?" Her eyes fixed on Rachel's as she spoke. Snatching up her bag, the small diva turned to leave.

"You know what Quinn, I feel sorry for you. You're so desperate to hide any actual feelings you may have that you hide behind all these walls, blocking out all your emotions. But one day soon that wall is going to come crumbling down and you'll feel more alone than you could ever believe." She snapped, throwing her bag across her shoulder.

As she walked past the blonde, Rachel could have sworn she saw her hazel eyes glaze over just slightly, and for a moment she saw the lost shell of a girl swimming inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note - Hey guys, not entirely happy with this chapter but figured you deserved something soon. Hope you enjoy it. Please comment if you do, or even if you don't, I love knowing what you guys think :)**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Glee or any of the characters **

**Chapter 3 **

"Hey man-hands, think fast!" Rachel cringed at the sound of the Latina's voice and braced herself for what she knew would come next. The brunette felt the cold splash of slushie begin to slide down her face and onto her clothes. With a sigh, she headed off towards her locker to retrieve a spare set of clothes that she always kept stored there, just in case of this exact situation. Part of her always felt like fighting back when she was victimised like this; another part of her knew it would be futile. The school had its pecking order and no amount of screaming and crying would change that.

As she entered the girls' bathroom to begin changing, Rachel thought she heard a soft whimper coming from one of the stalls. "Hello?" she called out warily. The whimpering stopped suddenly. "Is anyone in here?" Walking slowly towards the back of the room, the young brunette came to a halt in front of the last cubicle of the row. Hesitantly, she nudged the door and it soon creaked open. Slumped in the corner was a girl, her eyes were red and blotchy, it was obvious she'd been crying for some time. Rachel's heart panged at the sight before her as she crouched down to speak to the distressed girl.

"Are you okay?" she asked from the spot, unsure whether an approach would be welcomed. The girl tore her eyes from the ground to look at Rachel. There was a questioning deep in her stare as she scanned the brunette's face carefully. Uncomfortable with the silence that hung in the air, the young diva spoke again. "I'll be right back, okay?" she announced, picking herself up from the ground.

When she returned, Rachel had in her hand a packet of tissues and some water. "Now," she began, moistening a tissue from the packet, "I know it's nothing fancy but this is the best I can do for now." Grabbing the girl's chin gently, she turned her face to the side to clean it up as much as possible. As the brunette soothingly ran the tissue over the girl's face, a blonde hair found its way loose of her otherwise flawless ponytail.

"There, much better." Smiled Rachel, stepping back to inspect her handiwork. A pair of hazel eyes followed her as she started cleaning up the mess she had created.

"Why are you doing this?" the blonde asked from her spot on the floor. Rachel froze where she was standing. The other girl had a point, why was she helping her? Any normal person would have backed away and walked out the door as soon as they saw the blonde, fearful of being verbally ripped to shreds.

The brunette forced her eyes to meet the hazel pair in front of her. "Because, you needed my help Quinn, and for some reason I'm dumb enough to give it to you." She sighed. There was something so unsettling about seeing Quinn Fabray, HBIC, who was in control at all times looking so vulnerable. It went against everything the brunette knew.

Rachel cautiously held out her hand to help the ex-cheerleader up from where she was still positioned on the floor, memories of the last time she attempted to show concern for the blonde still prevalent in her mind. There was to be no repeat of the harsh treatment though, as the blonde took her offer of help with only a blank stare.

The pair stood opposite each other for what seemed like an age, eyes locked, until with Quinn released her grasp with a mumble of thanks.

"Well, I'd better finish getting changed. Slushy's impossible to get out once it's set." The brunette started. The ex-cheerleader seemed not to have noticed the red goo sticking to Rachel's face and body until that moment. Her hazel eyes glassed over slightly at the sight.

"I'm sorry," the blonde murmured, her eyes travelling up and down the brunette's body.

Rachel was sure she'd just heard the ex-cheerleader appoligise, but that couldn't be. Quinn Fabray didn't appoligise, least of all to people like her. Was the world going insane? First the girl who had tormented her for so long had been found crying on the bathroom floor, and now she was saying sorry to the brunette. Maybe the blonde had hit her head on the while she was on the ground and was now suffering from some of alternate personality disorder.

"Uh, okay then." Stammered the young diva, unsure of what one normally said in this situation. As she turned to pick up her clothes and finish cleaning herself up, Rachel saw Quinn move in the corner of her eye. Out of instinct she found herself flinching, waiting for a hand to collide with her face or harsh words to meet her ears, but neither came. Instead she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves gently around her waist and hazel pair of eyes looking deep into her own.

After a few moments the blonde separated herself from the young diva and stepped away, smoothing her clothes against herself.

"If you tell anybody about this Berry, I'll make sure getting slushied is the least of your worries. That's a promise."

And with that, Quinn Fabray, HBIC was back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note - Hey guys, thank you so much to those who commented, your reviews keep me going :)**

**Hopefully this chapter will help everyone understand Quinn a little better. ****So here it is, Chapter 4 of More Than You Will Ever Know, enjoy and please comment**

**Chapter 4**

"Rach. Rachel. Rachel, are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" asked Finn, a hint of frustration evident in his voice. The quarterback had been rambling on about something to do with a new football play for the last 10 minutes, but the brunette hadn't heard a word of it.

"What? Oh yeah, of course Finn." She said with a small smile. Finn had spent enough time around the small diva to know when she was lying. Resting his fork against his plate, the footballer turned to his friend.

"Are you feeling okay Rachel? You seem so distant lately." The brunette flinched slightly at his words. Okay? Rachel Berry had felt many things these last few weeks, but she couldn't say she had felt at all okay. The almost constant mind games Quinn seemed to be playing with her had been taking their toll, both mentally and physically. The brunette found herself retreating inside herself more and more each day, fearful of letting something slip about that day in the bathroom with the ex-cheerleader and even more petrified of the promised retribution.

"I'm fine." She lied, pushing the remands of her lunch around her plate lazily. Furrowing his brow, the quarterback nodded solemnly. Finn knew when not to pry, and for that Rachel was extremely grateful. Her problems were her own; unloading them off onto somebody else wouldn't solve anything.

* * *

After lunch, Finn had insisted on escorting Rachel to her next class, she knew he was trying to keep an eye on her but the footballer argued that since he was heading in the same direction, it made sense for them to walk together. The brunette found herself almost smiling at his reasoning; Finn's classroom was on the other side of the school, she knew he would probably have to sprint to his class after dropping her off to avoid being late.

"I think I can take it from here," announced the young diva as the pair arrived at the classroom doorway. "Thanks."

"Right, well I guess I'll see you later then." Replied Finn as he gave the small girl in front of him a quick hug goodbye before shuffling off awkwardly.

As she entered the classroom and headed over to her usual seat, the brunette found a note waiting for her. She began scanning the note and found that it was not handwriting that she recognised.

"_I'm sorry. I am so much more sorry than you will ever know. Please know for every inch of me you hate, I hate myself a mile more. I wish I could say this to your face, but I'm just far too scared and weak._

_I'm sorry."_

Turning the paper over in her now shaking hands, the young diva found a link to a website written on the back. Who could have written her a note like this? And why were they being so vague? What were they so sorry for? A face popped into her head for an instant before being placed at the back of her mind. Impossible.

Before Rachel could ponder the mystery any further, her teacher began asking for the class to take their seats and the lesson commenced. _I'm not finished with this yet _thought the brunette to herself as she hurriedly threw the note into the pocket of her dress.

* * *

Rushing through the doorway to her home and yelling a quick hello to her dads, Rachel bounded towards her room with a speed that was usually reserved for getting to the front of Barbra Streisand concerts. Throwing her bag down, the young diva turned her computer on and waited impatiently for it to load. "Come on, come on." she mumbled to herself. After what seemed like an age, the screen came to life and Rachel soon found herself entering the address that had been written on the back of the note. She was only one keystroke away from knowing the identity of the mystery note writer, and for some reason she found herself hesitating. The secret of the note had kept her going through the day, it made her feel excited, like the leading lady in a who-done-it story and now she was at the climax of the scene. Revealing the identity of the culprit. What if she didn't really want to know? Or if she was disappointed once she found out? She couldn't exactly un-see who it was once she had seen. With a deep breath the brunette hit the enter key and almost instantly she found herself submerged in the world of her mystery writer. Once she started reading it was hard to look away.

_Be My Escape – the personal blog of yet another complex teen_

_October 3__rd_

_She found me today, crying in the school bathroom. I didn't mean to break down like that, especially in public, but I guess everything finally spilt over. Then she came in, covered in slushy – I asked S about that later and she took credit for it. She said "man-hands" just looked like an easy target that day – and saw me huddled in the corner. I must've looked a total mess, but for some reason she took pity on me and helped clean me up. That's just like her to help someone so undeserving, someone who has only ever caused her pain. I don't know how she does it; there must be something divine in that girl. _

_I almost told her after that, I was so close to telling her everything but it's not exactly something you can just bring up out of the blue. I wish I'd told her how sorry I am for all the terrible things that I've done to her and that I didn't mean any of it. I guess it's just easier to hurt her like that than to say anything real; like how much I love the crinkle in her nose when she laughs, or how cute the face she makes when she concentrates is, or how hard I've fought to convince myself the butterflies I feel when she walks by don't exist. I'm meant to be a good Christian girl; these feelings aren't normal for good Christian girls._

_Maybe one day I'll get the courage to tell her how I feel, but I can't fool myself into thinking she'd ever want anything to do with me. I feel so lost in all this mess, but she doesn't deserve to be dragged in here with me._

_- Q_

Rachel found herself reading and re-reading the text before her, trying to let it all sink in. This had to be some kind of sick joke, there was no way that Quinn could have feelings for her, that her contempt towards the brunette had been a mask for something much more.

Turning off her computer, Rachel walked over to her bed and flopped down onto it. She soon found herself drifting off into a light sleep and thoughts of Quinn began to wind themselves around her mind as she slept.

For now, she would have to wait to see what tomorrow would bring.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Just want to say a massive thank you to those of you who have been leaving reviews, they really do make me smile, as well as those who have added this story to their favourites or alerts. I'm glad people are actually reading my dribble haha :)**

**Lyrics are from Duffy's "Breaking My Own Heart"**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Glee or any of the characters**

**Chapter 5**

It was turning out to be just another ordinary day at McKinley High, much to the surprise of Rachel Berry. She wasn't sure what she had expected when she stepped into the building for the beginning of the school day, but ordinary wasn't it. _Why should anything be any different?_ The brunette asked herself silently. _It's not like anybody else's world was turned upside down last night, just lucky me._

Rachel had taken to spending lunchtime, recess and even between classes in the company of someone else in case she should run into the girl responsible for the shift in her world. Most of the time the role of unknowing chaperone fell to Finn Hudson. Of course the quarterback hadn't a clue about why the young diva had suddenly become so attached to him but he couldn't deny that he found himself enjoying her company, even if she did seem a little distracted at times.

As the bell rang for lunch, the pair began wandering towards the cafeteria together. Even if the establishment's vegan options were pretty much non-existent, Rachel found herself eagerly walking towards the eatery, desperate for a distraction from the thoughts that kept playing on a loop inside her mind. _Is she here_? _Maybe she's busy with Santana and Brittany. Why should I even care where she is?_

The quarterback soon interrupted her thoughts as he cleared his throat nervously.

"So, uh Rachel? I was wondering if, you know, you're not busy or anything…" began Finn, his hands fiddling with the plastic cutlery before him. But the small diva's attention had been shifted from the boy in front of her to the entrance of the room. There her eyes spotted a familiar blonde ponytail bob up and down as its owner strolled towards across the floor. Rachel found herself almost transfixed by the sight of the ex-cheerleader; she couldn't seem to stop herself gazing after the girl. Suddenly she snapped out of her state and her mind soon kicked into gear, what if she walked over here? How was Rachel supposed to act? How did people normally act towards people who practically confessed their previously undisclosed feelings towards them after years of abuse? _I don't suppose there's exactly a protocol for the situation, _thought Rachel to herself.

The brunette's heart began to beat faintly faster as Quinn passed by Rachel's table, brushing up against her lightly as she went. _What are you doing? _The young diva scolded herself. _Stop it right now. Turn around, ignore her and focus on Finn. _She had noticed the footballer's lips moving for a minute or so yet hadn't caught a word he had said. Gently shaking her head, Rachel turned her attention back to the quarterback.

"I'm sorry Finn, what was it you were saying?" Finn looked slightly crest fallen at Rachel's words. He had obviously thought the brunette had been hanging on his every word.

"If you wanted to come to Breadsticks tonight. With me?" He repeated. The small brunette could see Quinn glower dimly from the table opposite at the footballer's proposal. The blonde's eyes looked as if they were going to burn a hole through Finn's head at any given moment.

Rachel would have almost laughed at Quinn's childish behaviour had she not been slightly scared of incurring some form of punishment in return.

_Going out for a night with Finn would be a nice distraction from everything that's going on at the moment. _Rachel found herself unconsciously let her eyes roam towards the blonde on the table opposite her as she thought.

"Sure, I'd love to." Smiled the small diva, ignoring the slight knot that seemed to have formed in her stomach.

As soon as the words left Rachel's mouth, Quinn stood up silently from the table at which she sat and stormed out towards the hallway, a pair of dark brown eyes following her

* * *

Rachel found herself on edge for the remainder of the day. The young diva almost jumped out of her skin every time she rounded a corner, fear of running into a certain blonde playing on the back of her mind incessantly. By the last period of the day her nerves were a wreck, so much so she even contemplated skipping Glee club that afternoon and heading straight home, but Rachel Berry had never missed a New Directions meeting and she wasn't about to tarnish that record now.

"Alright guys, as you know, we've got regionals coming up really soon and with the competition as tough as it is we really need to start getting together a set list." Exclaimed Mr Shue, clapping his hands together. "So, does anyone have anything they'd like to put forward for us today?" He was met with empty replies. It was a Friday afternoon and, as much as the kids loved the club, most of them wanted nothing more than to be lying lazily on the sofa at home or floating in the cool caresses of their pools.

Just when he was about give the group another of his infamous lectures on the importance of pulling together as a team, someone volunteered to sing for the team.

"Quinn, great. Let's hear it then."

At the sound of Quinn's name, Rachel found herself searching for the blonde, her deep brown eyes scanning the ex-cheerleader's face for any clue of what was to come next.

Picking herself up from where she sat next to Brittany and Santana, Quinn walked towards the piano that stood in the centre of the room and began to sing, her hazel eyes fixed upon Rachel.

_I rushed right in_

_Just like a fool_

_So struck down by you_

_I didn't know what to do_

_I started on_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Yeah_

_I started on_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Yeah, I was frozen_

_By the pain_

_I tried_

_To reach out to you_

_But I felt so ashamed_

_So, I kept on_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Breaking my own heart_

_I kept on_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Breaking my own heart_

_Save me_

_Somebody save me_

_From this misery_

_Love is killing me_

_Please save me_

The room was deathly silent for a moment after the last note left Quinn's mouth. Rachel could feel goose bumps crawl up her arms from the intense emotions the blonde had attempted to convey as she sung.

"Wow," Puck whispered from somewhere behind the brunette and soon the rest of the Glee club joined in with words of praise for the blonde. But their words went unnoticed as, at that moment, she could only see a pair of deep brown eyes staring back into her own and the small smile playing on the lips she had so often fantasied about.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note - Hey guys, sorry this add's a little behind schedule, I've just been busy with assignments and exams and all that jazz. This chapter's the longest yet if that's any consolation haha :) Anyway once again, thank you to those of you who have added this to your story alerts/favourites, I'm glad you're liking it and a massive thank you to those of you who have left comments, they really do inspire me to keep this story going, so please don't be shy, comment away :) **

**Chapter 6 **

"... and so coach Beiste made the whole team change back into our uniforms and run 20 laps each. Puck and a few other guys had just jumped out of the showers and didn't even get time to get dressed properly." Rachel smiled brightly at the quarterback's tale, the mental image of McKinley High's football team running laps around the field in little else but their towels would prove difficult to get out of her head for quite some time.

The brunette had been a little unsure about agreeing to accompany Finn to Breadsticks tonight but, despite the awkward half hug she received on her arrival, she found herself feeling quite relaxed and soon began to enjoy herself. Finn had been so kind to Rachel these last few weeks and the small diva was glad to have found such a great friend in him. Sure, things had been slightly uncomfortable in the beginning when the pair first began hanging out together again after their earlier break up, but Rachel was determined to make the best of a bad situation. They had been friends before they starting dating, so she could see no harm in continuing their friendship afterwards.

"Thankyou for tonight Finn," said the brunette, smiling "I had a really wonderful time." The footballer grinned in reply, his cheeks colouring slightly.

"I'm glad Rachel. You've been kind of messed up lately, I'm just happy to see you smiling again." Finn's touching words had the young diva once again beaming quietly to herself. Having somebody looking out for her like that was rare; sure the kids in New Directions had eventually softened up to Rachel after finally learning that she was only so demanding because she couldn't accept anything other than perfection, but she still felt like quite the outsider in the group. There was nobody she could say she particularly close to.

The small brunette excused herself from the table with a gentle smile and made her way towards the bathroom. If she were going to get emotional, she wouldn't allow herself to do it in public, as much as she adored a crowd, it wasn't something she usually liked making a spectacle of. As she entered the blandly decorated restroom, Rachel caught sight of a familiar face.

"Quinn?" she asked, somewhat sceptical that the blonde's appearance there was simply coincidental. The ex-cheerleader quickly looked up from where she was standing; she looked like a small child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Oh, Berry, hi" she answered, her voice sounding slightly strained with the effort of trying to appear calm. "How are you?"

"Fine…" replied the brunette uneasily, "Are you here with anyone, or…" she questioned. Lima was a small town and Breadsticks was pretty much the only hangout for the small part of the population under 25, so the chance of their meeting being accidental was actually quite reasonable.

"Uh no, I'm not. It's not that I'm, you know, stalking you or anything, but, it's just I heard Finn ask you out here earlier in the cafeteria and…"

"You decided come and wait for me in the bathroom?" questioned the brunette, confusion plastered across her face. Quinn blushed and faltered slightly at the small diva's accusation.

"Uh, yeah…" She could see how odd this may have looked, but it wasn't like she could have just gone waltzing up to Finn and Rachel's table while they ate and struck up a conversation

"Right… So is there a reason you're waiting for me in here or did your plans for the evening just fall through and you thought the Breadsticks bathroom might be a kick? Rachel inquired, her curiosity beginning to get the better of her. Quinn squirmed faintly under Rachel's questioning gaze, quickly skimming through her head for a response worthy of her HBIC status, but failing.

"I just wanted…" the blonde stammered, "I just wanted to talk to you." Colour began to rise in her cheeks as she waited for a reply from the other girl.

Rachel was taken aback, unsure whether she should be flattered that Quinn had decided to spend her Friday night waiting for her, simply to talk, or if she should be unnerved that the blonde saw nothing wrong with waiting for her in the bathroom of a dinner.

"Talk? To me? About what?"

A small smile crept up on the blonde's face as she stepped to close the gap between herself and the brunette. "I showed you Rachel, I showed you and I... I sung to you. I sung for you." She replied, her smile faltering vaguely. Her eyes glimmered in hope that the young diva had been paying attention during her performance, really listening to what the song had said. Rachel had listen to Quinn sing all right, she had heard every line and every note as they seeped into her. Truth be told, Rachel had had the song dancing through her mind all afternoon, twirling itself around her every thought.

The brunette found herself staring into the hazel eyes before her, they were so much softer than she remembered; there was none of the usual coldness she had become so used to, instead she spotted something tender, something that reminded her so much of the broken girl she had found only a few weeks ago.

"I know Quinn, and it was beautiful." Rachel spoke, her voice covered in a smooth gentleness. "But I don't' know what you want from me. "

The ex-cheerleader seemed confused at the smaller girl's statement. Eyebrows knitted slightly together she replied, "I want you Rachel, I know I've done nothing to deserve you, quite the opposite, but I'm ready to admit that I was wrong, I didn't mean any of the things I said. You have to know I didn't." A twinge of anger flashed across the young diva's face at the blonde's words.

"But you said them Quinn, each and every insult and put down. Being sorry doesn't take back the fact that you said them, it doesn't make up for how much they hurt." Cried Rachel as tears threatened to begin to fall from her brown eyes. Bowing her head, the blonde felt guilt rush over her whole body. She had never thought her words had had any real effect on the small diva, she had just been so angry and wanted somebody else to hurt the way that she did.

"I'm so sorry Rachel, I am. I'll do whatever it takes for you to realise that." The ex-cheerleader promised, her hands shaking as she fought from running out of the room.

Feeling in control of her emotions once again, the brunette nodded and dabbed her eyes with the back of her hand, careful to avoid wrecking her makeup any more than her tears had already done. She knew Quinn was telling the truth and, despite what any sane person in her position would have done, she found herself telling the blonde this.

"I've never been too good at holding grudges anyway," she laughed, remembering how quickly she had forgiven her childhood friend after they had made the mistake of calling Broadway shows "boring", one of the worst possible insults in the eyes of the younger brunette. Quinn's face lit up at Rachel's words and a grin soon formed on her face. The blonde tentatively extended a hand towards the other girl, who after a moment's consideration took it gently in her own.

"I have to get back to Finn, he's probably wondering if I've fallen in or something by now." Rachel laughed softly, her thumb stroking the back of the blonde's hand tenderly. Quinn grimaced at the mention of the quarterback but nodded. As she dropped the ex-cheerleader's hand and turned to leave, the brunette quickly turned back to face the blonde. "I'm not making any promises here Quinn, I want you to know that. I'm not sure about a lot of things that are going on at the moment and I'm not going to make you any promises that I'm not sure I'll be able to keep." The ex-cheerleader reached gently towards the small brunette in front of her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"I understand, I'm just happy to have you not hating me. I want to be around you Rachel and if things between us improve while that happens, well that's just an added bonus." She smiled cheekily, a grin that seemed to be becoming permanently attached to her in the presence of the brunette forming on her face.

With a smile almost as large as the blonde's Rachel walked out of the restroom and back to a ever increasingly worried Finn.

* * *

"Rachel, oh thank god, I was worried you'd jumped out the window to leave me with the bill or something." The young diva giggled at the quarterback but was met by silence a sober face. He wasn't joking?

"No Finn, I just ran into a… friend and we got talking, that's all." She explained. Finn still looked puzzled.

"Girls talk to each other on the toilet?" he questioned and Rachel couldn't help but shake her head.

As the pair got their things together and readied themselves to leave, a young blonde slipped through the restroom door and walked past their table, dropping a note as she went. Rachel grabbed the note and tucked it away in her purse, hoping that Finn hadn't taken any notice. After telling the footballer that she'd catch him up in a minute, the brunette quickly pulled the note back out and began to read.

_See you Monday _

_Q x_

This is going to be one long weekend, thought Rachel to herself as she walked towards the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note - Hey guys, thank you to those who reviewed, they really do give me the kick up the bum I need to keep writing haha. Now this chapter may seem like it's not much but trust me, it leads to much bigger things :D **

**As always, hope you enjoy it and please review, I love knowing what you guys think. **

Monday morning soon arrived in a flurry of notes, homework and tests. The upcoming end of year exams had the whole school on edge and the chance of students having any spare time outside of studying was becoming increasingly slim. The school had even saw fit to postpone all extra curricular activities and clubs until after the exam period was over, worried that some of McKinley's more conscientious students may have been spreading themselves too thin. That was the official reasoning, but rumours were spreading around that it was just another of Principal Figgins' schemes to try and save money in the school's scarce budget.

News of the glee club's postponement was met by a mixed display of reactions. Most were outraged that the school would do such a thing with regionals only a matter of weeks away, while a select few were thankful for the break. "Think about it guys, we all get two weeks away from being exposed to Mr Shue's blatant vest fetish." The teacher in question scoffed lightly, he had become accustomed to the abuse over his choice of clothing. "Plus, " continued the Latina, ignoring her teacher's annoyance "I can't be the only one that needs a vacation from RuPaul's yappy voice barking orders at us all." Rachel gave an unimpressed scowl at this. "Oh don't give me that look man-hands, you should consider yourself lucky I haven't snapped and gone all Lima Heights Adjacent on your ass yet. I mean really…"

"Okay, okay that's enough thankyou Santana." interrupted Mr Schuster. As much as he hated to admit it, the young Latina had a point. The whole glee club had been working so hard recently that maybe some down time would be the best thing right now. "Here's what's going to happen, we're going use this time off to our advantage. I want each of you to take this as an opportunity to come up with some ideas for regionals. I want set lists, choreography, what ever you can think of. Try to think outside the box a little, we know that the Dalton boys will be bringing their best and we can't afford to do any less." Although the whole club had grown to love and admire Kurt's new team, they weren't going to risk a draw at Regionals.

* * *

The room quickly filled with talk of plans for the upcoming show as the club began to break off into smaller groups, eager to discuss what songs they would put forward and whom they believed would get what part.

Quinn had been stealing glances at the brunette from her seat on the other side of room for a while now. The blonde had tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but when you were sitting next to Santana Lopez, it proved rather a hard task to perform covertly. She knew that it was risky to be casting longing looks to the small diva in such close proximity to someone who could so easily catch on to what she was doing, but her curiosity won out in the end.

It was this same curiosity that now had her walking to join Rachel on the other side of the choir room.

Sitting in her usual chair by the back, Rachel's brow was furrowed in concentration. On her lap sat a small black notebook adorned with glittering gold stars where she had been attempting to narrow down her vast catalogue of songs to find the very best; the one that would get the solo that she so often craved.

"Hey there," greeted Quinn enthusiastically. Rachel started at the sound of the blonde's voice; she had been so absorbed in her work that she hadn't even noticed the ex-cheerleader approaching her.

"Oh, hi Quinn" she replied, carefully closing her notebook and placing it on the empty seat beside her. "Please, sit down." Quinn was careful to avoid sitting on the lovingly decorated book and so chose to sit on the seat to the right of the brunette. A short, mildly uncomfortable silence sat between the pair as they waited for the other to begin talking.

"So, uh what were you thinking of putting forward for Regionals?" asked Quinn. Although there were a thousand other questions she would have preferred to ask, the blonde thought it best to keep the conversation on safe territory, for now at least and she knew that the young diva was unlikely to turn down an offer to talk about her own performance.

"I was actually thinking of doing a duet," Rachel answered, her eyes bright with excitement as she thought about the upcoming performance.

"Oh?" Quinn couldn't help but let a small glimmer of hope invade her mind with the thought that maybe, just maybe the small brunette would ask her to sing it with her. The blonde smiled at the thought, it would mean that they could spend time together without raising too much suspicion from the likes of Santana and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the glee club.

"Yeah, Finn suggested that we pair up the other night at Breadsticks."

"Oh," Damn Finn. The big oaf seemed to be becoming quite the nuisance of late. Why couldn't he just leave Rachel alone? He had had his chance with the brunette and blew it; she had been heartbroken for months after he split up with her and it was only just recently that the pair had startled to rekindle their friendship. A friendship, thought Quinn sourly to herself, which you only helped strengthen by harassing the poor girl for all that time.

Rachel saw how crestfallen the ex-cheerleader had become at the news of the quarterback's involvement and couldn't help but smile weakly. It was an unfamiliar experience to see the infamous Quinn Fabray get jealous. The young diva had been on the receiving end of many of the ex-cheerleader's emotions but never would she have thought that she would be able to evoke jealously from the blonde.

Finn's ears' must have begun burning because soon, he too, was coming over to join Rachel, his usual goofy grin plastered on his face.

"Hey Rachel," he greeted warmly, dropping himself down into the seat to her left. "Quinn." The blonde noticed she was simply an after thought to the quarterback back couldn't quite find the energy to care. What the oaf thought of her was the very least of her worries.

"Finn!" scolded Rachel. The footballer had unwittingly sat on the diva's much-loved notebook, almost crushing it in the process. Quinn laughed quietly to herself as Finn began to babble what sounded like an apology to the brunette as she snatched up the crumpled book from its seat. And here I thought you were going to make this tough on me Finn, smiled the ex-cheerleader to herself.

* * *

The following day held the promise of nothing but exams for the juniors of McKinley High and, as expected tensions were running high and tempers were running short, especially for one young brunette. Rachel had been livid at Finn for the incident in the choir room for the remainder of the day; she would have forgiven him earlier had he not made the mistake of asking why she was "so upset over a stupid book". Now the added pressure of exams had the small diva almost in hysterics.

"If x squared equals 45 then what is the numerical value of the cube root of 224 times pie. Why should I care?" she sighed, throwing her textbook down onto the table before her. "Unless I'm playing some kind of mathematician on Broadway, I'm never going to need this."

It wasn't just Rachel that was beginning to feel the pressure of the upcoming tests; Tina had taken to spending most of her lunchtimes in the school's library trying to absorb any extra information she could. Not even Mike Chang's offers of "Asian kisses" and a look at his abs were enough to lure her out.

Quinn however, was totally relaxed. After surviving Coach Sylvester and a teenage pregnancy, something as petty as end of year exams were a breeze for the blonde. Her nerves of steel were currently being tested however, by the sight of the small diva only a few tables away from where she sat in the school's cafeteria. The brunette was wearing another of her infamous outfits (today's consisted of white stockings with a deep red skirt that came up to her mid thigh and matching red and white checked top) and her hair was slightly ruffled. Quinn found her attention being drawn towards the young diva, no matter what she tried to do to distract herself otherwise.

This was insane, she was Quinn Fabray, HBIC, ex-head cheerleader and she didn't act this way. How had this one small, beautiful, all be it slightly annoying young woman managed to turn her someone who longed to feel the brunette's soft caress and who could no longer find herself to be happy if the small girl wasn't happy. Secretly, the blonde knew the answer to her own question, but there was no way she was ready to admit it to herself, let alone anyone else. Rachel knew how Quinn felt, but could the ex-cheerleader just leave the ball in her court? If she pushed too hard then she may scare off the small diva and lose her for good into the clutches of the quarterback. No, there's no way she would let that happen, at least not without a fight.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note - Hey guys, I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long to get to you but unfortunately school life and exams have consumed pretty much every second of my day for the last few weeks, but I'm on Easter holidays now so hopefully I'll be able to pump out a few new chapters for you all.**

**Also as a side note we see a little re-inclusion of a certain name in this chapter, it's not exactly subtle so I hope you guys see it :)**

**As always, your reviews keep me writing and I love knowing what you think so please do feel free to comment. Enjoy**

_Finn had his usual goofy smile on as he chatted casually with the brunette, his eyes shining brightly with adoration. He looked so content in his simple actions, nothing strenuous, just sitting and talking, but that was enough._

_Rachel felt a grin tugging at her lips from the mere expression on the footballer's face. It was moments like this that she could remember just how happy they had been together, how content she felt in his presence. But something wasn't quite right. The scene around her shifted and she was no longer standing in front of her locker in the school hallway, instead she found herself sitting in the bleachers near the football field. The light was much harsher; bright lights, shining luminously onto the ground before her illuminating the ground and figures below had replaced the soft rays of sun. She sat alone in the stands, waiting expectantly. Soon, the football team came jogging onto the field, helmets under their arms, as they followed their quarterback out. Finn ran up to steps of the bleachers, leaping them two at a time to reach Rachel's side. "Ok boys," he shouted excitedly to his team. They suddenly started off in different, seemingly random directions. The young diva was puzzled. _

"_What is this Finn?" she asked, curious. The team was soon in place and Rachel's question was answered. Spelled out across the field in football players read "FH loves RB". The brunette broke out into a contagious grin that Finn soon mirrored. But before any further words could be exchanged, the scenery around them began to spin and Rachel now found herself in McKinley's auditorium. The quarterback once again joined her, but something was much different this time; his expression was much harder than it had been only moments ago and Rachel felt hesitant under his gaze. She smiled weakly towards Finn but only received a blank stare in return. "Rachel…" he began, his voice harboring a firmness that seemed almost alien. "I can't do this anymore." The young diva stared at the footballer confused._

"_Do what Finn?" she asked hesitantly, wary of the answer._

"_Us Rachel, I can't do us anymore. It's just…" Suddenly the small brunette felt a twinge in her chest, like someone had stomped her heart into her ribcage._

"_Finn stop. You don't need to justify yourself, you no longer want me and that's something I'll have to deal with." Her voice was confident and contained but inside an internal screaming was driving her close to tears. She would not cry. She would not let her emotions overrule her, not now. With a quick curt nod Finn turned to leave, having said what his piece. _

"_I'm sorry Rach," He said softly, unable to look the brunette in the eye. He received no reply, Rachel was certain if she had opened her mouth again in the near future only cries would escape. _

_When she was certain the quarterback had left the auditorium, she let herself sink to the floor with a thud. Her knees came up to her chest as she hugged them tightly, shaking with the force of her tears. It was this same position that one Quinn Fabray would find her 2 hours later, fast asleep having cried herself into a restless slumber. On seeing the poor girl, Quinn removed her cardigan without a word, rolled it up and placed it gently under the brunette's sleeping head. She had waited with the young diva until she began to stir. Picking herself up from Rachel's side, she took off into the wing of the stage, casting a fleeting glance back as she left._

Rachel awoke with a start. She had been having the same nightmare for the last few nights, always the same painful memories and always ending with the same pair of glistening hazel eyes. Swinging her legs out of bed, she walked across her room to fetch a small shoebox, its lid lined with golden stars of various sizes. This was her dream-box, filled with happy memories and future dreams, from the ticket stub from her fist Broadway show to a map with every spot she was ever going to live circled in thick marker pen. Collecting it in her arms, she took it back to her bed and started to look through its content, just as she had always done when she suffered a bad dream. Only this time something had changed; yes many of the scenes had still been painful, but now she found herself longing to close her eyes when she woke to go back and see those hazel eyes once more. That was all she needed, one more time. She was uneasy at her subconscious' desire and tried to push it away as best she could.

Glancing at her alarm clock she saw she would have to get up in less than an hour so thought it useless to attempt to get any further rest. Gathering her thoughts, she left her room and began to ready herself for another new day at school.

* * *

As the lunch bell rang at McKinley High, students quickly came pouring out of classrooms left right and center, eager to relax while they could. It was almost the end of exams for most of the school but everyone agreed the end could not come fast enough.

Rachel had just left English class and was on her way to browse the school's pitiful selection of so-called food, half of which didn't even seem fit for human consumption. She decided to go for the safe option of a garden salad (even if the leaves were semi wilted) and began to look for a seat in the already overcrowded cafeteria. The brunette searched for her useful lunchtime friends but neither Mercedes or Finn were anywhere in sight. Just as she had resigned herself to sitting alone on a table near one of the school's various rubbish bins she felt the warmth of someone's hand on the small of her back. The brunette stiffened suddenly at the unfamiliar action, almost managing to drop her tray and its entire contents on the floor beneath as she did so. From behind her she heard someone let out a soft giggle and turned round to see its source.

"Are you always this graceful?" asked Quinn cheekily, her hands grasped carefully around the young diva's tray as she tried to help her regain her composure. Her attempts proved hopeless however, as the mere sound of the blonde's voice had Rachel spinning around so quickly that her tray soon fell with a clatter to the ground, its contents hurled clumsily across the floor. The small brunette sighed loudly and knelt down to begin cleaning up the mess she had made. Today was beginning to seem like it was going to be a tough one.

A small smirk was evident on the ex-cheerleader's face as she leant down to aid the young diva; it was only fair seeing as she seemed to be the cause of Rachel's tense state. "Here," she said taking the shattered plate out of the brunette's small hands, "let me." She received a mumbled "thanks" in return as well as a rather lengthy apology.

"…You just caught me off guard and I didn't know who it was and, oh be careful with that."

"Rachel," Quinn replied, turning to face the brunette "it's okay, you can stop now." In the midst of all the kafuffle, Rachel had yet to have noticed that she had sustained a sizable cut to her hand where a piece of broken plate had wedged itself.

"Oh," said Rachel nonchalantly, "I'll be fine, it's just a scratch." Grasping the young diva's hand gently in her own the blonde carefully pulled the splinter of plate out, ignoring Rachel's many objections as she did so.

"There," she smiled triumphantly, "that wasn't too difficult, was it?" Rachel resisted the urge to mimic the blonde childishly, instead choosing to give Quinn a small smile of thanks. "Let's get you seated before you cause anymore damage to yourself." Quinn offered out her hand to the small brunette, who soon accepted it with a nod. The blonde couldn't help but notice a slight blush begin to rise up the cheeks of the smaller girl. She looked so beautiful with a touch of rose in her face that Quinn was sure to make a mental note on the fact for later; if she had her way then the brunette would be forever tinted pink.

As the two girls sat down at a nearby table, Rachel felt her cheeks soon starting to warm again under the gaze of the ex-cheerleader. She looked up to meet the other girl's gaze but quickly found herself looking back at the table. In front of her were the hazel eyes she had been dreaming about for many nights now, the eyes that had captured her imagination. _Don't stare you silly girl,_ Rachel scolded herself internally. She had never struggled with communication before; in fact it was usually the opposite, but something had the small diva's tongue in knots and her usual sense wandering off elsewhere.

"Rachel?" asked Quinn tentatively, as if she had been calling the brunette for some time now. Relieving her eyes from their previous position of table inspectors Rachel snapped up to meet Quinn's questioning gaze.

"Sorry, what was it that you were saying?" she questioned, slightly embarrassed at having been caught spacing out as she had. She had been a total scatterbrain the entire day and being such close proximity to the blonde did not seem to be helping.

Quinn did not seem to mind Rachel's lack of attention as she repeated herself yet again for the brunette. " I asked if you had any plans for your regionals piece yet? I mean, there's only so many Broadway numbers that a girl can pick from right?" she offered with a grin. The brunette smiled at the ex-cheerleader's comment and nodded in agreement.

"As much as it may shock you to know, Quinn, I am extending my musical selections beyond that of the classics of Broadway."

"Even beyond Wicked?" queried the blonde disbelievingly.

"Even beyond Wicked."

"Wow, I am shocked Rachel, utterly shocked." Said the blonde smiling. "How much was Finn in influence in this decision? I mean, I can hardly see him singing 'For Good', although Finnessa would make a gorgeous Glinda." The ex-cheerleader was almost in tears at the mental image of the quarterback dressed up as the good fairy.

Rachel gave up on her futile attempt to smother an ever-growing smirk, instead letting the sound of her laughter fill the cafeteria. After several long minutes and an equal amount of strange looks from those around her the brunette managed to bring herself under control enough to answer the blonde. "Um actually Finn doesn't even know. It's just something I decided myself." Quinn looked surprised at Rachel's words but not for the reason's the later may have suspected. If Rachel hadn't discussed it with the footballer did that mean she no longer intended to sing with him? Had she decided not to share the spotlight after all? "I was actually wondering," the brunette continued, completely oblivious to Quinn's internal monologue, "if… if um…" The small diva once again cursed her sudden speechlessness. With a sigh she tried once more to convey her message. "I was actually wondering if you'd like to do a song. " No reply. "With… me?"

For what had to be the thousandth time that day the blonde found herself smiling at the smaller girl before her. She had perfectly understood what the other girl had meant the first time but wanted to hear her elaborate, just to make sure she herself wasn't misunderstanding. "No Finn?" she questioned, raising a single well-plucked eyebrow.

"No Finn." Rachel replied, slightly puzzled at Quinn's interest of the quarterback's inclusion.

"Ok then, I guess it might be fun to try something new." The blonde said grinning. She had to use far too much self-control to not wiggle her eyebrows with her previous statement but remembered what she had promised herself earlier baby steps when it came to Rachel, baby steps.

"Great!" cheered Rachel, a little too overenthusiastically. "How about you come over my house this afternoon and we can get started?" She managed to disguise the shakiness in her voice well enough, something which she thanked her dads for the years of acting classes internally.

"Sounds good," replied Quinn as she picked up her belongings and started to move off. "See you then…" The school bell sounded as she began to walk away, her final word cut off by the shrill sound. "Kitty."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note - Hey guys, I'm sorry this had taken a while to get to you but between exams and writer's block, the last few weeks have been frustrating to say the least. But it's here now and, as usual, I hope you all enjoy it. Be sure to review and tell me what you think, I always love reading your comments :)**

**Lyrics are from Ellie Goulding's "Believe Me". I have changed the tense in one or two lines, so if you know the song, you'll be able to pick that up.**

Rachel stared at her reflection in the floor length mirror opposite and sighed. She had tried on almost every piece of clothing that she owned yet nothing seemed to look quite right. _Quite right for what though?_ She found herself thinking; after all, it was only Quin coming over. That was precisely it though; it had never been only Quinn, not ever. Before, it was "Quinn the tormentor" and "Quinn – HBIC", but what was it now? "Quinn the almost friend"? "Quinn – friend in waiting"? No matter how she tried, the brunette found herself unable to answer her own question. Before she could ponder any further, a soft knocking at the Berry's front door caught her attention.

"Just a minute," she called as she hurriedly threw her rejected articles of clothing back into their draws and slammed them tightly shut. When she was satisfied nothing would come popping out unexpectedly from its place, the young diva smoothed down her freshly pressed cream dress, readjusted her trusty crimson headband and headed off downstairs to greet her guest.

Rachel swung open the large wooden door of the Berry residence and smiled. Before her stood Quinn, looking as flawless as ever. Her blonde locks were secured with a white ribbon and she too, Rachel noted, had changed her outfit since they had spoken only hours ago during Glee club.

"Quinn," The name fell from Rachel's lips with a smile as she ushered her guest inside. The blonde returned Rachel's smile with a grin of her own and stepped into the eloquently styled hallway, scanning the area as she did so. Along the walls stood framed photographs of the young diva and her fathers in various family portraits, as well as countless pictures of the brunette by herself as she stood at home on stage. The ex cheerleader found herself smiling at one image of Rachel in particular. The small diva (who looked to be no older than 4 or 5 at the time) was positioned centre stage and grinning ear to ear. She was grasping a gleaming golden trophy that looked as if it may cause the younger Berry to topple over at any moment.

"That was my first win at an eisteddfod. Dad and Pop were so proud." The brunette's face glowed as she recalled the event. "Of course, they were a little less enthusiastic about my taking the trophy with me everywhere I went. I slept with that thing in my bed for a week straight." She shook her head and giggled at her younger self. Quinn's heart thrummed at the sound of Rachel's joyful chuckle. Had she ever heard the brunette laugh before? She couldn't have; surely she would have remembered a beautiful sound such as the gentle, honeyed one that had emerged from between Rachel's soft lips. No, she may not have had the thrill of baring witness to such a noise before, but she decided right there that she would do everything in her power to ensure it happened much more frequently.

The ex-cheerleader soon found herself tuned out from whatever childhood memory that the young diva had taken to retelling, her attention instead shifted to studying the gentle movement of the brunette's lips. The way she bit the corner of her chapped bottom lip whenever she paused in thought. The way her lips crinkled ever so slightly when they twisted themselves into a glimmering smile. Or they way that...

"Quinn?" The brunette had never known the blonde to be so quiet for such a period of time and was beginning to worry if something was the matter. The former HBIC snapped herself out of her bubble of thought and cast her eyes away from Rachel hurriedly.

"Sorry," Quinn flushed, embarrassed at having been caught gazing upon the dark-haired girl for such a time.

Casting her a sly smile, Rachel beckoned the blonde to follow her as she began to make her way down the hallway and up the staircase to where they would be rehearsing their piece for the afternoon.

* * *

"This is your bedroom?" asked Quinn incredulously as she looked around the vast room she now stood in. Although the space was quite large, it still managed to retain a warm atmosphere with the help of a cushion or throw rug here and there. However she may have been expecting Rachel Berry's bedroom to look like, this was certainly not it. Along the back wall hung a collection of posters that looked as if the owner, in their desperation to add the latest pictures to an ever-growing hoard, had ripped them hastily out of magazines. On first glance Quinn had assumed them to simply be pictures of Broadway stars that had risen to fame before Rachel had even owned her first pair of tap shoes, but on closer inspection the ex-cheerleader noticed to her surprise that the wall was in fact covered in pictures of pop stars. Perhaps the brunette had not been joking earlier when she had told Quinn that her musical interests did actually extend past the classics.

Wondering what other hidden interests the young diva may have had, Quinn continued to scan the contents of the brunette's room, trying to absorb as much as possible. The blonde noticed what appeared to be a video camera and tripod in the corner of the room, complete with backgrounds of various worldly landmarks and backdrops of multiple infamous stages: Radio City Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and the Sydney Opera House. Yes, although Rachel's room was not what Quinn had been expecting, it still most certainly screamed of Rachel Berry.

"So," began Quinn, turning face the brunette. "Are we going to rehearse, or did you just want an excuse to lure me into your bedroom Berry?" The brunette felt her breath hitch in her throat and her eyes looked as though they may have sprung out of her head at any moment. A sly smirk graced Quinn's lips as she witnessed Rachel's reaction. Unbeknownst to the former cheerleader, it was not the mere fact of what she had been alluding to that had the brunette in such a flutter, but the multitude of inappropriate images that had flooded into Rachel's own mind at such a suggestion.

"Let's, um, just get started then, yeah?" The young diva was eager to veer the tone of conversation far away from anything that could possibly lead to any further vivid mental pictures. The last thing she needed was to get worked up and embarrass herself in front of Quinn.

The blonde simpered at Rachel's obvious discomfort. _Oh Berry._

Rachel walked over to her iPod speakers and began fiddling with the buttons, searching for the song she had decided to sing with the ex-cheerleader. Having found what she was searching for, the brunette turned back to face Quinn, a nervous smile playing on her lips.

"Just, listen yeah?" she asked, looking intently into the pair of gentle hazel eyes nodded silently and moved to sit on a nearby chair. The young diva cleared her throat and began to sing, her voice barely audible against the soft music.

_Listen, I can hear a voice,_

_I need a helping hand,_

_just to beat the void_

_I need a mission,_

_a dream to stop me talking to myself_

_and now the silence is broken,_

_and my soul is to sell_

_I need to pick up the pieces_

_to scatter to the wind_

_Hold the city to your ears_

_you can hear the wind come in_

The ex-cheerleader stared fixated at the brunette before her as the words flowed from Rachel's mouth and began to float towards her, spinning and twirling their way into her ears as she listened.

_I can't stop this music travelling round with_

_me wherever I go, it's playing for you._

Her eyes were no longer darting around the room nervously; instead Rachel had set them firmly upon the shining hazel pair opposite. She readied herself with a quick, but deep inhale as she prepared herself for the oncoming lines.

_I can't stop this voice unraveling round_

_me whatever I do. It's talking to you_

_The world dances to the rhythm of its own_

_heart beating for you, however you lose_

_So speak to me - believe me._

Quinn had not missed the young diva's attempt to hold a line of sight between the two girls. She felt her body quiver slightly under the intensity of Rachel's gaze. The power the smaller girl seemed to have over the blonde both thrilled and chilled Quinn as she sat listening intently. The brunette was not so completely engrossed in her own performance as to have missed the not so subtle manner in which Quinn's mouth was nearly gaping open as she watched; smiling as it did so.

_Don't let it slip, through your fingertips._

_When there's a ghost,_

_don't try to reason with it_

The blonde rose to her feet slowly (and almost unconsciously) and began to make her way across to the small diva, who it was evident to see, was beginning to struggle to finish the song. Her voice had soften to little more than whisper as she urged the final few verses out of her increasingly strained throat.

_Because now I'm tired, I'm wired,_

_so I won't miss a thing._

_I rope my words out to dry_

_and I've forgotten what to sing_

_I can't stop this music travelling round with_

_me wherever I go, it's playing for you._

_I can't stop this voice unraveling round_

_me whatever I do. It's talking to you_

_The world dances to the rhythm of its own_

_heart beating for you, however you lose_

_So speak to me - believe me_

Tears she hadn't known she had possessed had begun to slowly flow down the brunette's cheeks as she stood studying the expression of adoration etched upon the girl opposite her.

Quinn reached out her hand and tenderly wiped away the few stray tears that had managed to escape from the smaller girl's watery brown eyes. Placing a finger under Rachel's chin, the former cheerleader coaxed her head up until they were once again eye-to-eye and finished the final lines of the song for the rather emotional brunette.

_If that's what it is to you,_

_then that's what it is to me._

As she felt her own throat begin to constrict and tears prick at her eyes, Quinn leant her head forwards gently to rest upon the young diva's.

The music came to a stop at last, but to the two young girls standing in the room at that moment, the music had muted long ago, with only the sound of each other's faint voices filling the silence.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note - Hey guys, I'm really sorry this has taken so long to get to you all but unfortunately school work has had me run off my feet lately. Anyway, hope the next chapter won't take nearly as to get to you all. **

**Please let me know what you think by dropping a review - it doesn't take long at all and let's me know what you guys are loving or hating. Thanks :)**

**Chapter 10**

As the morning bell rang out at McKinley High, students began to slowly trickle in and fill the school's long hallways with the excited swapping of newly heard gossip along with the groans of discontent at having to drag themselves through another six hours of learning, much of which would no doubt be forgotten by the time the day's final bell had sounded. Had the students of McKinley not been so thoroughly absorbed in their own frivolous exchanges and paid further attention to the goings-on around them they would quite possibly have happened to witness the lingering glance cast by their fellow school mate, Quinn Fabray, in the direction of a petite young brunette as she scurried past, laden with a multitude of books for her day ahead, on her way towards her locker. The blonde's mouth lifted to form a soft smile on seeing Rachel work her way down the bustling foyer uttering an impatient "Excuse me," with each new person she passed. The small crinkle that had wormed its way onto the brunette's brow only deepened as she was jostled from every direction by an ever increasing stream of students which flowed in the opposite direction. At last, the shaky paper tower that she had so valiantly attempted to keep standing could take no more and, with a final jolt from a hurried jock, shivered itself into collapse with the brunette promptly following suit.

"Oh yes, this is _exactly_ what I needed first thing in the morning. Thank you _so _much. Really," yelled Rachel sarcastically; whether her frustration was targeted towards the unfortunate jock (who had grumbled an apology with rolled eyes and quickly left the scene), or towards the now defunct stack of books sprawled before her was debatable. It was highly likely though that both would be subject to some rather harsh words later that evening when they appeared in the young diva's diary entry for the day.

Grumbling to herself under her breath, Rachel began to collect together her scattered books and the loose leaflet of paper that had flown wildly out of them. The brunette made sure to try her best to scuttle out of the main hallway and thus trampling distance of her fellow school mates (at least some of whom she was sure would have cherished the opportunity to kick her while she was down – quite literally). As she reached out to begin collecting her books, Rachel's hand brushed against the smooth, warm skin of another's. Her hand retracted defensively and her eyes darted north to determine whether this person was friend or foe, after all, one does not endure years of bullying without becoming at least a little wary of those around them. But her eyes were not met with any sign of harshness or ill wishing, instead she found herself staring into a pair of hazel eyes that carried only affection, as well as a slight glint of laughter.

"Hi," smiled Quinn warmly as she helped Rachel to gather her remaining books, bundling them up in her arms as she went. "How about I carry these for you? The coordination gods don't seem to be smiling on you too brightly on you today." She teased as she stood to her feet, not giving the brunette time for a refusal.

"Thanks," replied Rachel, laughing softly, any trace of anger she had previously been feeling quickly dwindling now she was in in the presence of the blonde.

The pair walked together down the hallway with its student population occupying the area slowly declining as people said their goodbyes to friends and reluctantly moved off to their first class of the day. Hands skimmed across hands once, twice, three times (an innocent enough gesture to passers by), as the girls strolled towards Rachel's locker where they too would part ways to begin their school day. At last they reached their destination and the smaller girl entered her combination to open the door to her locker. As the door swung open with only a slight creak of protest Quinn found herself breaking into a smile for the umpteenth time that morning. She had never had the opportunity to get a proper look into the brunette's locker before now but it was obvious to see, on first glance alone, that everything inside the small red box screamed of Rachel Berry. Golden stars adorned the interior side of the metallic door along with a feather boa framed face length mirror. Also visible was a collection of, what the blonde assumed were meant to be inspirational, words and phrases – _Faith, Never Stop Shining, Winners Never Quit and Quitters Never Win. _Yes, no one would ever doubt the owner of these belongings.

"Ready to go then?" asked Rachel, snapping the former cheerleader out of her own mind and back to reality. Nodding, Quinn turned to say her goodbyes to the smaller girl.

"I'll see you at lunch then?" she asked cheerfully, her hand playing absentmindedly with Rachel's soft, slender fingers that had found themselves intertwined together as they spoke. The brunette cast a quick glance down to where they hands were interlaced and smiled weakly at Quinn.

"Of course," The ex-cheerleader's brow creased in worry as she sensed the slight hesitation in the smaller girl's voice.

"Is everything ok, Rach?" she questioned tentatively. The brunette had been fine only moments before, yet now her body had stiffened faintly and her eyes began to dart nervously from the girl before her to the passing students and teachers surrounding the pair. Suddenly everything clicked into place for the blonde and she dropped Rachel's hand slowly from her own. "Are you scared of what people might say? About us?" she asked, her voice sounding somewhat harsher than she had meant. The young diva bowed her head, unable to force herself to keep eye contact with the Quinn.

"Yes," she mumbled, her voice barely audible. Quinn felt a pang in her chest at the brunette's words, regretting instantly having posed the question in the first place. As if she had heard the very crack that was now spreading through the blonde's heart, Rachel snapped her head up to face the braking blonde before her as she continued. "Oh no, Quinn, it's not like that, honest. It's just…" she broke off, unsure how to continue. "It's just that when you've seen just how cruel people can be like I have, you're not exactly eager to see that kind of treatment again in a hurry, you know?" The small diva was beginning to stress that Quinn may have gotten the entirely wrong idea. _Stupid Rachel, you're just so stupid. Why would you go and say that to her? Look how crushed you've made her. Stupid girl…_

"I know," Quinn sighed. "I know; I was one of those people Rachel. I was one of those cruel people who made you feel like that." Her voice was hardened as she fought against the oncoming tears that pricked at her eyes and threatened to fall.

The brunette's throat constricted as she forced herself to continue. "Quinn," she spoke as softly as she could manage while still making herself audible. Reaching forward, she placed her finger under the blonde's chin to bring their eyes to meet. "You listen to me Quinn Fabray. I don't want you thinking like that ever again, do you understand me? You were confused and hurting, I know that. But none of that matters now. I was only thinking of you Quinn," The former cheerleader's brow wrinkled in confusion at Rachel's words.

"Me? What do you mean?"

"I'm used to being the victim, the butt of everyone's joke. I'm okay with it. But seeing you treated like that, even for a minute, would kill me." Rachel's eyes shone with worry as she waited for the blonde to respond.

Quinn was silent for what seemed an age until suddenly she burst out laughing. The smaller girl looked on, confused. Only moments before the blonde had been on the verge of a breakdown and now her she was laughing her head off. Had Rachel missed something?

"Oh Rachel, honey, I can handle myself. Trust me, if I can carry around a growing fat suit on me for 9 month, I'm sure I can take whatever people have to throw at me – at us, for being together."

As the final warning bell for the beginning of classes rang out across the school halls, the pair began to move off to their first classes for the day, but not before they shared a small, chaste kiss that had both girls grinning broadly afterwards.

* * *

Finn Hudson slunk away from his position around the corner from the emotional couple. His brain was trying its best to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Two of his ex girlfriends…Rachel and Quin… crying… kissing. It was well known that Finn was not the brightest bulb but even (given some time) could piece together what it meant. But no, that couldn't be right; Quinn was pregnant – lesbians don't sleep with Puckerman and get pregnant – and Rachel, well Rachel was just Rachel. What could she possibly she want with the blonde? What did she see in her? After all, the former cheerleader had tormented the brunette for years. No, maybe he had it all wrong. Whatever the case may have been the quarterback wouldn't stand for it. Rachel was going to be his again, he would make sure of it; he hadn't spent the last few months "befriending" her again just to have her stolen from beneath him.

"Watch out Quinn Fabray…."


End file.
